Seth Meyers says GOP leaders can't 'pretend to be shocked and offended' by Trump's attacks on Latino judge


On Monday's Late Night, Seth Meyers took at look at Donald Trump's recent broadsides against U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who's overseeing fraud lawsuits against Trump University. "Some have called Trump's attacks racist, while others have called them really racist, and now GOP leaders are squirming as they try to condemn Trump while also continuing to support him," Meyers said. Trump started attacking the judge when Curiel ordered the release of internal Trump U documents that appear to show the "university" to be a shady, high-pressure get-rich-quick scheme.
"They targeted single mothers who needed money for food," Meyer said. "Even Bernie Madoff was like, 'Woah, dawg, that's not cool.'" The documents and allegations from former students and instructors are unseemly, but "rather than respond to the substance of those allegations, Trump has decided to go after the judge presiding over the class action lawsuits personally, in a way that can only be described as incredibly racist," Meyer added, and he did so just as GOP leaders reluctantly united behind him. "Now, as punishment, they've had to do their best to dodge when confronted with Trump's latest racist outburst." Meyers focused on House Speaker Paul Ryan, mixing pity with disbelief. "Republicans can't pretend to be shocked and offended," he concluded. "This is who Trump was well before this latest outburst, and this is who they're lining up to support." Watch his entire argument below. Peter Weber
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Taking aim at Venezuela’s autocrat
Feature The Trump administration is ramping up military pressure on Nicolás Maduro. Is he a threat to the U.S.?
-
Comey indictment: Is the justice system broken?
Feature U.S. attorney Lindsey Halligan has indicted former FBI Director James Comey on charges of lying and obstructing Congress
-
Government shuts down amid partisan deadlock
Feature As Democrats and Republicans clash over health care and spending, the shutdown leaves 750,000 federal workers in limbo
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91
Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclub
Speed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's ills
Speed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, Stallone
Speed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's view
Speed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
A long weekend in Zürich
The Week Recommends The vibrant Swiss city is far more than just a banking hub